Structure health monitoring using wireless sensor networks on structural elements

This paper presents a system that monitors the health of structural elements in Reinforced Concrete (RC), concrete elements and/or masonry buildings and warn the authorities in case of physical damage formation. Such rapid and reliable detection of impairments enables the development of better risk management strategies to prevent casualties in case of earthquake and floods. Piezoelectric (PZT) sensors with lead zirconate titanate material are the preferred sensor type for fracture detection. The developed sensor mote hardware triggers the PZT sensors and collects the responses they gather from the structural elements. It also sends the collected data to a data center for further processing and analysis in an energy-efficient manner utilizing low-power wireless communication technologies. The access and the analysis of the collected data can be remotely performed via a web interface. Performance results show that the fractures serious enough to cause structural problems can be successfully detected with the developed system.